Yes, it will be submitted, the full length. I did submit it. Just to save time, I will move on.
I escaped the country in 2012 because I was dying in the hands of my government. I left to heal myself. I was dying. I lost my family, my home, my health, my honour, living off the system of VAC that shamed me. I felt as if I was a burden and I completely disconnected. I moved to the south where I could heal. The sunlight healed my depression. The food was natural, with no GMOs, it healed my diabetes. The way of life that slowed down, slowed my aggression and my depression and so on.
This was disrupted due to the attacks of the Canada Revenue Agency through my SISIP lump sum. I owed taxes and so on. It's all in here. I came back in March, ordered by VAC to verify my file, and also to get my TPI because I tried to do it while I was down south and it was a shambles, so I had to come back and restart everything. I'm still waiting, and it has been two years. Jesus...
As a matter of fact, ever since I called and asked about mefloquine, which I had never heard about before. It's only five months ago that I found out on the Internet.... The VAC office in Mississauga has been denying me my benefits. They took away my clinical care manager who was getting me back on my feet. He got me my health card. He got me the apartment I was in, because I was homeless since March. I just got into my apartment in January. He was in the process of handling my financial issues, and he kind of disappeared. The Mississauga office was very aggressive in telling me that we had to disengage, and now I'm on the verge of losing it all again.
I think this is very important. I had an issue when I had an overload... When I found this out...24/7, I was five days without sleeping, just intaking information through social media. I had an overload and I had, not a psychosis but a crisis. I called VAC and the help they gave me was a 1-800 number, a crisis number.
I called that number. I explained my situation. That young lady had a tremble in her voice. She couldn't help me. She didn't know what to do. Actually, that lady needed a 1-800 number for a crisis.
I called the VAC again. The VAC said, “Sir, call the emergency”.
I called for assistance. I just asked for an ambulance to come. Two police officers came and made a scene. The ambulance took me to the emergency, where, after talking about my symptoms, they locked me up. They took away my meds. I was put on suicide watch for 14 hours, with my medication denied to me.
There's a stigma around my medication. I have a complaint against the human rights commission in Quebec, because I was falsely arrested with all my permits and everything else paid by VAC. I was arrested. So, there is a stigma for my medication.
They took away my meds. After 14 hours, they didn't want to give me my meds, so I asked to leave, and they put me on the street. I spent the next 10 days at home, stewing in my own hell.
I had to get back on my feet. I had an objective. I've been working hard to heal, and I'm heading toward that now.
I have run into issues everywhere I go. My family doctor and psychologist are clueless. It's not their fault. I can't blame them. The medical system accepted this stuff. Nobody knows about it. If I go to the pharmacy...I went to Shoppers Drug Mart recently. I got a printout of what mefloquine is, and you have 1% incidence down the line. It's not a 1% incident. I was there.
I'm pleading with each member of Parliament to look into this because it is not only a veterans issue, it's a national health issue.
I am speaking for myself at this committee, as a veteran paratrooper, but I am one of many drops filling this bucket of agony.
Many service members have taken this anti-malarial drug during deployment. This is not counting the civilian impact, Peace Corps, UN workers, aide workers, students, professionals, and travellers. These are some of the people affected by this anti-malarial drug, mefloquine.
I am asking the Canadian government to have a moral and legal obligation toward its citizens, to the sons and daughters defending this country, to all veterans who have served with honour. An immediate outreach must be initiated and the community must be made aware. Canada is far, far, far behind with this situation on the international stage.
Suicide is on the rise, and this is the answer. Canada can redeem itself with an exemplary outreach for its citizens, and show the international stage that Canada can take lead.
We need help. Isn't this worth looking into? This is a national health issue.
Thank you for your time.
Airborne.